Apparatus for refining vapors



Feb. .12, 1935.

O. D. LUCAS ET AL,

APPARATUS FOR REFINING VAPORS Filed Nov. 22, 1953 Patented Feb. 12, 1935UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR REFINING VAPORS Owen DavidLucas and Ernest Joseph Lush; Dartford, England Application November 22,1933, Serial No. 699,294 In Great Britain November 22,1932

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for use in r efiningvapors. It is customary in this art to pass the vapors through a mass ofadsorbent material in a powder or granular 5 state, e. g, granulatedfullers earth, in order to extract undesired m A problem in this 0 atterpresent in the vapors. onnection is to initiate and readily removed, to

be replaced for example by a charge of fresh material.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises a casing in which ismounted a, nest of tubes adapted to be internally heated and which areprovided with gills of interstitial formation whereby substantially allparts of the effective space within the casing are penetrated by thegills and yet when the space is filled with adsorbent material in apowdered or granulated state,

as for example granulated fullers earth, such material will be readilydisplaceable through the gills along thespaces between Thus inaccordance the actual tubes. with the invention a nest of vertical tubesmay be mounted in the casing, the tubes being provided with gills formedof looped wire, the spacing and arrangement being such thatsubstantially all parts of the space to be occupied by the-adsorbentmaterial in the casing are penetrated by the gills.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawing, of which Figure 1 is a sectional eleva Figure 2 is a plan tionof the apparatus and thereof with the topcover removed, Figure 3 is anenlarged plan view of a gilled tube, and Figure 4 is an elevation of thesame Referring to the drawing, casing with a top cover 2 1 is thecylindrical and a false bottom 3 formed by a spider covered with gauzeof sufliciently fine mesh to retain which is to occupy the casing.

bottom of the casin the adsorbent material 4 is a sump at the providedwith a drain cock 5.

Mounted within the casing is a nest of vertical tubes 6 each providedwith gills 7 (to be more particularly described hereinafter), thespacing and arrangement of the gilledtubes being such that there is noplace of substantial volume which is not penetrated by thegills. Thetubes are connected at the top and bottom to systems of ring headerssecure d concentrically by spacing members 8, the top system beingsupported by a ring 9.

A heating mediumof a nature which may depend upon the temperature to bemaintained is circulated through the nest of tubes, being ad- 5 mittedat the bottom through an inlet 10 and being taken out at the top throughan outlet 11.

If electrical heating is employed, the headers will be replaced byelectrical leads and connections. 10

The vapor to be refined is brought in at the top through the inlet pipe12 whence it passes through, a pipe 13 down the centre of the casing.The vapor emerges from the bottom of the pipe 13 in the sump portion ofthe casing and it will then rise through the gauze of the false bottom 3and up through the body of the adsorbent material which occupies thecasing. The vapor outlet at the top of the casing is shown at 14.

The nature of the gills which is not clearly apparent in Figures 1 and 2is shown in more detail in the other figures of the drawing. The gillsare formed of looped wire which follows a helical form round the tubes,the radially projecting loops of the wire being bound at their roots to5 the tube surface by means of a metal strip 15. Thusthegills provideinterstitial spaces and although they serve the purpose of conductingthe heat of the tubes to an extended distance ,it to all parts ofthe'mass of adsorbent material,

they enable the adsorbent material to fall through the interstices andto be discharged from the casing upon removal of the false bottom andsump portion of the casing.

For heat insulation purposes lagging material 16 is provided round thecasing.

By the use of the above described apparatus a uniform distribution ofheat is readily initiated and maintained, this being obtained by aninternal heating arrangement which though having a very extended surfacewill nevertheless not cause the adsorbent material to clog up so that itcannot be conveniently removed. I 45 It will be understood that theinvention is applicable not only to the case where a stationary body ofadsorbent material is used but also to the case where a moving column isused and that in the latter case the apparatus will be provided withappropriate continuous feeding and discharging means for the adsorbentmaterial.

What we claim is:--

1. Apparatus for use in refining vapors comprising a casing for holdingpulverulent or granof interstitial formation ular adsorbent materialthrough which the vapors to be refined will be passed, there beingmounted within said casing a nest of tubes adapted to be internallyheated which are provided with gills penetrating into substantially allparts 01' the efiective space within the casing.

2. Apparatus for use in refining vapors comprising a casing for holdingpulverulent or granular adsorbent material through which the vapors tobe refined will be passed, there being mounted within said casing a nestof vertical tubes adapted to be internally heated which are providedwith gills formed 01' looped wire penetrating into substantially allparts oi. the eflfective space within the casing.

OWEN DAVID LUCAS. ERNEST JOSEPH LUSH.

